Persecution of Christians is on the rise globally, with 380 million experiencing discrimination and violence due to their faith.
The chief of media relations and message integration for the Voice of the Martyrs reflected on the lead-up to the International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians, which began on November 2 and continues throughout the month.
Persecuted Christians ask us to pray for them, which is why the International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians exists. Voice of the Martyrs encourages all Christians and churches to include prayers for the persecuted church in their activities.
We aim to ensure that every church prays for our persecuted brothers and sisters, emphasizing the vital role of prayer that is often overlooked in the busyness of life.
The persecuted church truly understands the power of prayer. “They grasp it better than we do,” he said. “In desperate situations, all they can do is pray, and they see God respond.”
He shared recent experiences from Christians facing persecution, including a pastor in India who was arrested under his state’s anti-conversion law.
He was imprisoned for continuing to evangelize despite warnings. They wanted to make an example of him, and he was beaten repeatedly in the first week of his incarceration.
“They hung him upside down, and two guards beat him until they were too tired to continue.” Despite the horrific beating, he said the pastor did not feel any pain, which he considered a miracle.
“God protected him, allowing him to avoid pain, which he called a miracle. After seven days in prison, the warden approached him, saying, ‘I’m an equal opportunity warden, and we celebrate all religious festivals here.'”
With Good Friday approaching, the warden decided to allow the pastor to celebrate and even invited him to share the meaning of the day and why Christians commemorate it with the other prisoners.
“The pastor has endured repeated beatings for seven days. Now, the warden who ordered these beatings is giving him a chance to speak about Good Friday to the other prisoners. The pastor agreed, saying, ‘Yes, I will do that.’ He stood up and seized the opportunity to share his message.”
“The warden who once ordered him to be beaten is now giving him a second chance—only God could do that,” he said. “God changed the warden’s heart, assigning two prisoners to care for the pastor, providing him with food and help with laundry.”
“He allowed the pastor to visit all the prisoners, and the pastor prayed for the warden’s son, who later recovered from his illness. A man said, ‘It changed the course of my life because our village was persecuted.’”
“In one case, a man said, ‘It changed the course of my life because our village was persecuted. Our family had to move to a different village, and that village had a good school, so I got a good education.
That changed my whole life. And I’m thankful for that persecution that pushed our family out of the village,” he said. “We never know what God is doing. We never know all that He has in mind.”
TOP 50 Countries in order where following Jesus costs the most:
1 NORTH KOREA
2 SOMALIA
3 YEMEN
4 LIBYA
5 SUDAN
6 ERITREA
7 NIGERIA
8 PAKISTAN
9 IRAN
10 AFGHANISTAN
11 INDIA
12 SAUDI ARABIA
13 MYANMAR
14 MALI
15 CHINA
16 MALDIVES
17 IRAQ
18 SYRIA
19 ALGERIA
20 BURKINA FASO
21 MOROCCO
22 LAOS
23 MAURITANIA
24 BANGLADESH
25 UZBEKISTAN
26 CUBA
27 CAR (Central
African Republic)
28 NIGER
29 TURKMENISTAN
30 NICARAGUA
31 MEXICO
32 OMAN
33 ETHIOPIA
34 TUNISIA
35 DRC (Democratic
Republic of the Congo)
36 BHUTAN
37 MOZAMBIQUE
38 KAZAKHSTAN
39 TAJIKISTAN
40 EGYPT
41 QATAR
42 COMOROS
43 CAMEROON
44 VIETNAM
45 TÜRKIYE
46 COLOMBIA
47 KYRGYZSTAN
48 BRUNEI
49 CHAD
50 JORDAN
2 Timothy 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
John 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
1 Peter 3:14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
1 Peter 3:16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
1 Peter 3:17 For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
Matthew 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.
Matthew 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
2 Timothy 2:12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
1 Timothy 2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men.
Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.
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